HAIRCUTKattia Solano: Solano, the salon's owner, transforms grown-out hair into a polished look. At the point when most stylists dust off clients' shoulders and send them on their way, Solano takes the time to demonstrate ways to style the new look. $375.

HAIR COLORTara Sookdeo: If you looked up "rich hair" in the dictionary, there would be a picture of Lauren Santo Domingo. The Moda Operandi cofounder's gleaming champagne highlights are courtesy of Sookdeo, who also works with Tata Harper and movie producer Allison Sarofim. $157 and up.

Jordan M.

Cut, $165415 W. 13th St., 8th fl.212-521-6500

Jordan took one look at our perky bob with its flipped ends and pronounced it too goody-two-shoes. He sug­gested going supershort, explaining, "It would look sexy," which was all the incentive we needed. Using a razor, he began slicing all around, creating an edgy pixie with soft layers and wispy bangs that hugged our forehead. The close-cropped result wasn't just seductive, it was undeniably cool.

Tashina Tantalos

Cut, $110415 W. 13th St., 8th fl. 212-521-6500

What we were after: A much-needed cut that would add shape and volume to our long, fine, curly style.What we got: Tantalos cut several inches off our straggly ends, added layers at the sides and in back for fullness, and snipped soft layers around our face.Bottom line: She gave us exactly what we asked for. Removing the dead weight from our ends made our curls springier. Our hair hasn't looked this thick since middle school.

This salon, which was decorated by Celerie Kemble, is sexy, sophisticated, and inviting—just like its owner.

HAIRCUTAdrian De Berardinis: De Berardinis offers clients a glass of Pinot Grigio and thoughtfully analyzes hair before cutting. His styles boost volume, and his blowouts are a straight and bouncy pleasure. $200.
Garrett Bryant: After styling models backstage at Rodarte and Thakoon, the talented and disarmingly handsome Bryant is now taking on steady beauty- and fashion-editor clients, specializing in beautiful, easy-to-style cuts (with hard-to-replicate model-off-duty texture). $125.

Ana Paula Cota

Cut, $145560 Broadway212-274-8686

We're not big joiners, so we were wary of Devachan because of its cult following. The religion: waves and curls. Cota converted us right away, explaining that she'd be doing a dry cut so that each layer fell just right. Nothing scary there—until she combed through our curls and made them bigger than Diana Ross's wig. Fortunately, we were quickly whisked away to the sink, where traditional shampoo is forbidden and a light conditioner is applied to deter frizz. After more conditioning, copious gel, and some time under a bonnet dryer, we were amazed. In just over an hour, we'd gotten impeccable layers, springy curls—and become believers.

Hip young moms fill this laid-back eight-chair space on the Upper West Side—the salon's third Manhattan location.

HAIRCUTRitchie Andrew: Removes pouf-inducing bulk and blow-dries hair with a round brush. (His cuts might look too mom-ish after the blowout, but they transform into a cool style after their texture is mussed up a bit.) Haircut, $74 and up.

Eliut Rivera

Cut, $400762 Madison Ave.212-472-3440

After spending the past six months growing out a bad haircut, we didn't want sharp objects anywhere near our head. But Rivera spoke four words that allayed our fears: "I love long hair." Then he gave us the most perfect microtrim, delicately snipping away frayed ends and creating graduated layers from ear to chin. Forty-five minutes later, our hair looked bouncier, healthier—and somehow, even longer than when we'd walked in.

Eva Scrivo

Cut, $35050 Bond St.212-677-7315

Our shoulder-length hair was bringing us down, so we headed to Scrivo for therapy. Sinking into a leather chair, we confessed that we had growing pains. Scrivo explained that we just needed long layers. She combined equal parts praise ("you have the body to pull off big waves") and tough love (when we balked that she was cutting too much, Scrivo insisted she was trimming pieces "that aren't doing a damn thing for you"). We were amazed in the end that our hair seemed to look longer. As we sipped coffee, a friend called our cell and asked if we were at work. "No, we're at home," we said. A Freudian slip, if there ever was one.

Jordi Martinez Fenoll

Cut, $135 and up394 W. Broadway, 2nd fl.212-888-2600

We try not to judge a book by its cover—unless that book is absurdly good-looking and speaks with a heavy Spanish accent. But Fenoll definitely earned our admiration, too. To make our fine hair appear fuller, he delicately trimmed our ends, snipping them straight across for a sleeker, more polished look. At least in Fenoll's case, looks are not deceiving.